Systems and methods for authorizing account access

• US 20040148286A1
• Filed: 11/04/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Union
• Original Assignee: First Data Corporation (Fiserv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rogers, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for authorizing access to one or more financial accounts. In some cases, the methods include providing an authorization document that incorporates a passcode. A request to authorize access to an account is received from an owner of the account. As part of the request, the passcode is provided. Based at least in part on the passcode, access to the account is authorized. In other cases, authorization can be provided via a representative of the account owner.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing access to one or more accounts, the method comprising:

providing an authorization document to an account owner, wherein the authorization document includes a passcode;

receiving an authorization request from the account owner via a voice network, wherein the authorization request includes the passcode; and

based at least in part on the passcode, authorizing access to an account associated with the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the account associated with the account owner is a mortgage loan account.

3. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

authorizing access to a source of funds maintained by the account owner.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the account is an investment account.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

explaining a financial program to the account owner.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the financial program is a loan customization program.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the loan customization program is a mortgage acceleration program.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

explaining a financial program to the account owner, wherein the explanation is provided by a customer service representative; and

transferring the account owner to an automatic input system, wherein the passcode is provided via the automatic input system, and wherein the customer service representative is prevented from accessing the passcode.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the automatic input system is an interactive voice response system.

10. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

providing documentation to the account owner regarding the authorized access to the account associated with the account owner.

11. A method for authorizing account access via a telephone network, the method comprising:

providing an authorization document, wherein the authorization document includes a passcode;

receiving an authorization request from an account owner via the telephone network,

explaining a financial program to the account owner, wherein the explanation is directed by a customer service representative;

transferring the account owner to an automatic input system, wherein the passcode is received via the automatic input system, and wherein the customer service representative is prevented from accessing the passcode; and

based at least in part on the passcode, authorizing access to an account associated with the account owner.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the account is a funds source maintained by the account owner.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the account comprises two or more distinct accounts, and wherein one of the accounts is a funds source maintained by the account owner and another of the accounts is a mortgage loan account associated with the account owner.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the passcode is received from the account owner as a series of audible tones created by pressing keys on a telephone.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein requesting the passcode is part of a prerecorded script.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the prerecorded script further includes a request for identification information.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the financial program is a loan customization program.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the financial program is an investment program, and wherein the account is an investment account, the method further comprising:

authorizing access to a source of funds associated with the account owner, wherein funds can be electronically transferred from the source of funds to the investment account.

19. A method for providing account access authorization, the method comprising:

providing an authorization form, wherein the authorization form includes a passcode unique to an account owner;

receiving a request via a voice network to authorize access to one or more accounts associated with the account owner;

describing a mortgage acceleration program by a customer service representative to the account owner via the voice network;

ascertaining an interest level of the account owner in the mortgage acceleration program;

based on the interest level, transferring the account owner to an automatic input system associated with the voice network, wherein the passcode is requested via the automatic input system, and wherein the customer service representative is prevented from accessing the passcode;

validating the passcode; and

based at least in part on the passcode, authorizing access to a mortgage account associated with the requestor.

20. The method of claim 19, the method further comprising:

requesting an identification characteristic of the account owner via the automatic input system, wherein authorizing access to the mortgage account is based at least in part on the identification characteristic.